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On 21 Sep 2004 23:06:14 -0700, (wendy) wrote:

That the boats are well-made and respected is a plus; if I
ever decide to sell I should get a good portion of the purchase price
back.

But the things are awfully expensive.

A couple of points: You are learning, which is great. You are
distinguishing for yourself what you want and are learning that good
boats cost more money G.

You should, however, try to SAIL (and sail hard) a Crealock 37. What's
"right" about them as a set of figures and layout is meaningless
unless you attempt the activity for which they were designed: sailing.
Otherwise, you might as well put a tarp on a stick on top of a
houseboat on pontoons: I guarantee you can get nicer furniture in a
houseboat than a Crealock 37.

Search for a Crealock 37 owners' group and read posts. Get used to the
pluses and minuses...there are always both; it's just a matter of what
you can personally forgive or discount or value above all else.

After absorbing wisdom on all things Crealock, start asking questions.
Make it known you're in the market...all sailors swallow the anchor
eventually and you may find a Crealock owner who will "favour" you
because you are so obviously set on having one. Not necessarily cut
you a deal, note, but even let you into the rather small club of
Crealock 37 owners who might never talk to a broker but simply sell
inside "the circle". A lot of C&Cs go this way, and they are another
line that commands an otherwise inexplicable premium (think Westsail
32s?)...except that C&C owners know exactly how nice they sail, and
know to the penny their worth.

Finally, adopt Skip G.'s research methods of "hunting" down your
future home. Use the Internet extensively...as well as the
telephone...to locate potential sale prospects. Carry around business
cards...if you see one in a yard or club, place a card in the cockpit
with a note on the back politely asking if a sale in the future is
cotemplated....

That last bit of advice might sound nuts, but it's how a friend of
mine scored a great deal on a 35 footer exactly this way. His query
started an older couple (first and only owners) thinking about how
little sailing they now were doing, and he picked up the boat "as is"
for about 30% less than market value, and yet like a lot of boats
owned by meticulous people, it was clean, extensively upgraded and
simply needed a quick power-wash and a light dusting...1995 sails used
twenty times in nine years are still essentially new, and my friend
scored there too, along with a low-hours diesel in great shape.

So "expensive" is quite relative when you finally figure out what you
want, isn't it?

R.